Chapters 42, 49 and 50, of Isaiah paint a picture of a Servant who will “establish justice”, be a “Light to the Gentiles” and be endowed with “God given wisdom”. However, when the reader arrives at the 53rd chapter, this Servant will be displayed as the “Suffering Servant”. Why? Why would this Servant suffer? Isaiah tells us that his life would be “blameless” and be full of “truth”. Yet, he would be led to prison like a common criminal and to death as a “Lamb to the slaughter”. He would be “unattractive, wounded and bruised” and be a Man of “Great Sorrow”. This Man was indeed a Servant of God, yet in Isaiah 53:4, Isaiah says that, “He was smitten” (killed) by God and in verse 10 Isaiah also states that it “pleased” God to bruise Him. Again, we must ask why? Why would God do this to His blameless Servant? The answer is “LOVE”. God loves us so much that He, Himself, in the person of the Son, paid the price for the “inequity” of us all. He “bore the sins of many” and through Him we have “peace” with our Creator. With tears in our eyes we look to this Servant of God who paid our price for OUR SINS and our TRANSGRESSIONS.
First Southern Baptist Church of Yucca, AZ